In eleven innings this year, India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav managed just 100 runs at a strike rate of 105.26. (BCCI photo) NEW DELHI: Since taking over the T20I captaincy from Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav has behaved like a rat but his batting has lost its tune.During the Asian Cup winning run, the 35-year-old made headlines not for his breathtaking shots or winning strokes, but for his theatrics. From refusing to shake hands with Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha to sitting out a league match against Oman, Suryakumar Yadav has been in the limelight for all the wrong reasons – trying too hard to channel his inner Rohit Sharma by forgetting players’ names while tossing, downplaying the India-Pakistan rivalry, dabbling in political remarks and giving endless interviews.
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If one were to believe everything he has said in the countless interviews he has given, it would appear that he steered India to the T20 World Cup. In fact, it was the Asia Cup – a tournament where India were overwhelming favorites and even the other side could beat the current defunct Pakistan team.India won the Asia Cup and beat Pakistan thrice, but amid all the noise, skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s poor form went unnoticed.In eleven innings this year, the Indian T20I captain managed just 100 runs at a success rate of 105.26. Since becoming captain, he has scored 330 runs in 20 innings with two fifties to his credit.His saving grace was in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), where the Mumbai Indians batsman smashed 717 runs in 16 innings at an explosive strike rate of 167.90.But now our focus is on regaining the T20 World Cup title – on home soil that is. Will chief selector Ajit Agarkar and coach Gautam Gambhir overlook Surya’s slump?TimesofIndia.com understands that Surya has the support of leading the team until the 2026 World Cup, but the big question remains – how long can his barren run be ignored?On Monday, coach Gautam Gambhir backed the T20 captain. “Honestly, I don’t care about Surya’s batting form as we have committed to an ultra-aggressive template in our dressing room. When you adopt that philosophy, failures are inevitable,” he said during a discussion on JioHotstar.“It would have been easy for Surya to score 40 off 30 balls and avoid criticism, but together we have decided that it is acceptable to fail with this approach,” he added.Gambhir also endorsed Surya’s “free-spirited” personality off the field, saying it gives the youngsters the freedom and expression to play their game.But Gambhir knows his words will be in vain if Suryakumar Yadav’s poor form continues in the five-match T20I series against Australia from Wednesday.Surya has gone without a fifty in his last 14 innings – unusual for him – and his dismissals in the Asia Cup suggest the opposition have found a chink in his armour.Apart from an unbeaten 47 against arch-rivals Pakistan in the group stage, he looked at sea against both pace and spin. His eagerness to play sweep shots against spinners and premeditated swings often cost him his wicket. The pitches were two-pace in Dubai, but he will face bouncier tracks in Australia – as the ODI series has already indicated.After winning the Asia Cup final, Surya looked uncomfortable when asked about his form while answering questions about the handshake-gate and the trophy-less celebration. He said: “I feel I’m not out of form, I feel I’ve run out of runs.”With five months to go until the start of the T20 World Cup, Suryakumar Yadav will be desperate to rediscover his touch – as no team wants a struggling captain heading into the global exhibition event.
